This Time, it's the Luftwaffe Folks in the Hot Seat

Another training controversy between western pilots and their Chinese employers has made headlines, this time involving former German Luftwaffe aviators and the Chinese Air Force.

German news outlets referenced a meeting between the Minister of Defense and his Chinese counterpart at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The summit saw both parties touch on the ongoing phenomenon of ex-Luftwaffe pilots training counterparts abroad as civilian instructors. Last year, the United Kingdom took issue with the same phenomenon, where Royal Air Force pilots moved on to civilian flight training jobs that directly improved the readiness of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. As before, the Germans were recruited by middleman companies in South Africa and New Zealand. This time, however, the training is happening on Chinese soil, unlike past operations that saw PLAF pilots go abroad to train on non-military aircraft. 

The 'why' behind Luftwaffe personnel's actions is no surprise - the pay is good, and they get to fly cool aircraft. German MoD Boris Pistorius said that each individual case would be examined, but "all transgressions will be punished."

The fear, of course, is that NATO-trained tactical aviators will give away the tactics, the procedures, and the vital OPFOR knowledge needed to thwart allied efforts should hostilities break out. "There are clear rules in the Soldiers' Act about what a soldier may and may not do after the end of their service period and what they must report," said chairwoman of the German parliament's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. "There are also clear rules about confidentiality obligations and much more. It's time for this naivety to end. The fact that we are indirectly helping China to upgrade its own air force is unacceptable." 

So far, the specifics are all up in the air as to how Germany will put a stop to things. While western reports allude to a cooperative Chinese response to the subject, Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu said that the Germans were all recruited through fully legal methods. In his meeting with Pistorius, he was said to be very 'cautious' by those privy to summit goings-on.

FMI: www.dw.com